Description
Gran Turismo has spawned a generation of car enthusiasts, it created an outlet for kids, and adults alike to experience the thrill of speed, the nuance of how different cars react to different inputs and modifications. But no car, embodies the spirit of the franchise more than a GTR, it is the poster car of a generation, the people’s super car.
The GTR moniker existed long before the playstation oracles, but it would be the game that brough them to life for enthusiasts around the globe. The R32, R33 and subsequent R34 generation of Skyline GTR faced became picks for driving enthusiasts, and even to this day as they become legal for import into the US their values continue to climb.
The GTR badge existed long before us Playstation oracles, first adorning Skylines in the late 1960s and early 1970s before being returned to the now iconic R32 in the early 1990s. The Skyline GTRs popularity grew thanks to motorsport success, but also thanks to a new culture and enthusiasm for tuned Japanese cars the most notable, Paul Walker’s R34 featured in 2 Fast 2 Furious.
With this cult like following, Nissan needed a way to relaunch the GTR for the generation that missed out and they leant into what helped build the car’s success in the first place. Using the Gran Turimso series and it’s makers not only as a launching pad, but also taking their knowledge to help design and implement features like the interior information displays. The R35, quickly became a dream car for many and has remained in production since launch in 2007.
This R35 is a 2009 model, finished in Ivory Pearl. The paint work is in excellent shape, there are a handful of stone chips dotted across the contrasting grey splitter and bumper accents but this is of course to be expected. As an earlier GTR, the lines of the car are as close to its original form with no additional fog lights added like later facelifts.
At the rear you’re greeted with quad tailights, a design queue that has remained throughout GTR production. There are also quad exhaust tips, adding an element of symmetry to the rear end. The wheels are 20” 7-spoke items, that have been finished in bronze, in a similar style to that of the iconic Volk TE37, a wheel that has adorned many a modified JDM icon. The wheels are wrapped in a matching set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.
It’s hard at this point not to notice the behemoth Alcon Super brake kit, tucked neatly behind the wheels. These are part of a £15, 000 upgrade program under-taken by renowned GTR tuners Litchfield. The upgrades focussed around the suspension and handling, as well as some work to the engine that we’ll touch on later. Alongside the brakes is Litchfields’ LM Suspension kit, that includes their castor kit to transform this GTR from what was an already incredibly capable car to one that is almost un-imaginably good. Whilst this work was completed, the ABS pump was also replaced.
Step inside and you could be forgiven for thinking you’d sat down in an F16-fighter jet. The cockpit is heavily driver focussed, the aforementioned information display that Polyphony helped to develop is aimed squarely at the driver giving essential readouts like G-force, ideal for the entrance to South Mimms services. The seats are black leather buckets with alcantara centres, that hold you in the right amount but also allow you to cruise comfortably over longer distances.
Centrally mounted is the automatic gear shifter, that can be controlled by flappy paddles tucked behind the steering wheel whilst selectable drive modes are controlled by three toggle switches that invoke more fighter jet vibes.
Under the bonnet is a twin-turbocharged 3. 8-litre V6, that in 2009 when the car was supplied new produced around 475bhp and 430lb-ft of torque. Though this is not the case today, thanks to upgrades by the team at Litchfield in they were able to extract a 22% power increase thanks to their customer Stafge 1 tune, meaning the car now produces 583 bhp and 513 lb-ft of torque.
We’re close to the end of R35 production now, as values of previous generations continue to climb surely now is a great opportunity to enter the fold of GTR ownership. As a 2009 model, this is an R35 in it’s purest form, as close to the car that adorned the screens of so many Gran Turismo enthusiasts. The original super car destroyer could be yours, and what better an example to by, with sympathetic modifications and upgrades, an extensive service record and a low-odometer reading of just over 22, 000 miles.
As with all our vehicles, a full digital folder is available on request containing more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.
